Young netballers impress against some of South Africa’s best rising talent

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A college netball team has impressed against some of the best rising talent from South Africa.

Pupils at Coleg y Cymoedd, which covers Caerphilly County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Taf, welcomed Johannesburg’s Trinity House Randpark Ridge squad to Nantgarw on March 21.

The sides played out a nail-biting 49-49 draw.

The South African side is widely regarded as one of the best sides in the country, and has produced numerous international players – including several who featured in the side that beat Wales at last year’s netball world cup.

The Cymoedd Blacks meanwhile are one of the best college sides in Wales, and are chasing a title win in the Association of Colleges Sports Wales Netball league.

Following the draw, Coleg y Cymoedd captain Mileta Mitchell described the experience as a “highlight of the year” and said: “Having already proven ourselves as the best team in the country, it’s been thrilling to test ourselves against international opposition.

“We knew this was going to be a tough game against such a strong side, however we held up as best we could and gave them everything we’ve been working on in training for the last seven months.

“We showed strength after strength tonight with the girls demonstrating their trust and confidence in each other, and this game will only take us onwards and upwards.

“Big appreciation to South Africa for being such a skilled, hardworking team and giving us a clean hard-fought game resulting in one of the closest draws we’ve ever played.”

Trinity House coach Simphiwe Sithebe said: “I just want to say that we came in here with an open mind. We wanted to practice and work our combinations and to gel as a team. We were so happy to compete with Coleg y Cymoedd. It was an amazing game. Thank you to our opposition for a beautiful game.”